Nathan Mayberg reports in the Register Star that Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Patrick Grattan, R-Kinderhook, and County Attorney Robert Fitzsimmons have announced their intention to negotiate the purchase of 25 Railroad Ave. from its owner, Tony Concra. Grattan said an environmental study recently confirmed the property, which includes a closed landfill, is environmentally sound. The county has leased the building to house the Department of Social Services at the cost of $425,000 a year for the past 20 years. The 40,000-square-foot structure is assessed at $2,056,000. The decision over where to locate DSS has plagued county leadership for several years, beginning with the decision in 2008 to purchase the former Ockawamick School for $1.5 million, based on a plan to move DSS, along with other essential services, six miles outside the county seat of Hudson. More recently, the county lost $120,000 on the option it placed to buy the former Walmart property located on Fairview Ave. in Greenport. Hudson Mayor (and former Third Ward Supervisor) William Hallenbeck applauded Grattan's announcement, Wed., Feb. 7. "It is a wise decision," he said. Read the full story in the Register Star.